Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria wins second Blue Ribbon

Eighth-graders at Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria announce the news of the 2018 National Blue Ribbon School recognition Oct. 1. COURTESY

Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria has been designated
a National Blue Ribbon School for 2018 by U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos.

Blessed Sacrament is one of 49 private schools in the nation to
receive this award and one of eight schools in Virginia. It is the only school
in the Diocese of Arlington to be recognized in 2018.

This is the second time in 10 years the school has earned the
national distinction. Blessed Sacrament School educates 300 students from
preschool through eighth grade.

Principal Valerie Garcia said it is an honor to be named a Blue
Ribbon School twice in 10 years.

“This honor was achieved together through the support of our
entire school community — our faculty, staff, parish priests, parish and our diocesan
Office of Catholic Schools,” she said. “As the only Catholic school named in
Virginia for 2018, we are tremendously proud to be recognized for living our
mission of ‘creating an educated community to serve Christ and one another with
integrity and respect.’”

The recognition was revealed to students at an assembly Oct. 1.

“We are planning a day to ‘celebrate the blue’ with our students
after the National Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony Nov. 7-8 in Washington,” said
Garcia.

“On behalf of the Office of Catholic Schools, I congratulate Father
John D. Kelly, pastor, Principal Valerie Garcia and the entire Blessed
Sacrament School community on their second Blue Ribbon,” said Jennifer Bigelow,
diocesan superintendent of schools. “Catholic education is the fabric of who we
are as a church and we are thrilled by this designation by the U. S. Department
of Education.”